Health issues are the leading cause of US unemployment, says survey

A new survey of US workers found that 30% of unemployed respondents cited physical health issues as the reason for their unemployment, with 15% citing mental health issues.

The survey, which was published on Monday by global consultancy McKinsey and Company and polled a cross-section of 5,000 Americans, saw nearly half of unemployed workers citing health issues – either physical or mental – as the reason for their unemployment.

Both physical and mental health reasons have increased since the last poll conducted in March, with taking care of children or relatives being the third most popular reason.

With 11 million job openings in the US in October, employees are noticing they may have the upper hand in business negotiations for the first time this generation, however for those with health problems the “Great Resignation” is not offering as many positives, according to this poll.

The Opportunities survey also revealed that though workers are more upbeat than they were back in March, they are less happy about future job prospects in the next five years. Declines in happiness were severely felt in lower-income households, as well as marginalised communities.

The greatest barrier to a happier life was also linked to healthcare – specifically a lack of affordable healthcare being cited as the main barrier to wellbeing.